


Be more Chill- Voltron AU (Klance)

by bananapie42



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: I had to change the end of the musical for this to work, I'm so upset I forgot Hunk, It's pretty effin long guys, M/M, Swearing, also I was working from the script so I don't own most of the dialog, if you enjoy this musical then you sure as heck are going to enjoy this story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2018-11-15 16:56:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11235243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananapie42/pseuds/bananapie42
Summary: Lance is a loser. And so is Keith.One day, Allura tells Lance about a strange pill that's from JapaAAAAAAANThen, Lance strolls in a field picking up so many flowers he makes a 'whoopsie-daisy' bouquet, in other words, great googly moogly it's gone to helluntil it doesn't, of course





	1. Act 1

Lance impatiently tapped his foot.  
"C'mon, c'mon," He muttered. His computer crashed and he groaned.  
"C'mon! It was so close to loading! Fine, I-" He glared at his computer "Will fix you later. So I can watch my porn. Fuck you." He growled. Lance felt like his brain was going to explode. He glanced at the clock on his wall. It was time for school. He decided to wear his blue striped shirt that day. He walked over to a mirror and flexed his imaginary muscles. Of course, that was the moment his dad decided to walk in. Without pants on.

"Dad! Haven't you heard of privacy!?" Lance shouted. 

"We're all men in this house. Just pretend we're in the army." His dad said. Lance sighed.

"Fine, just... put some pants on by the time I get home," Lance grumbled. He grabbed his red backpack and stomped out the door. He wondered if he should walk or take the bus to school. If he took the bus, he'd have to deal with Zarkon, and he didn't really want to, but if he walked, he'd probably reek of sweat by the time he gets to school. He decided to take the bus. He has some dignity after all. Thankfully, Zarkon isn't there, so it wasn't complete hell. 

When he got to school, he looked around at all the kids. It felt like everyone was staring at him. Judging him. That couldn't be possible, though, because he was a nobody. A loser. He often wondered what it would be like to be the popular kid, but who doesn't? He often gets picked on by the popular kids, but that doesn't really count. He just wants to more than survive.

He overheard some kids talking as he walked passed. 

"Pidge said Jenna was like 'I'll only have sex with you if you beat me at pool' and then she lost at pool. Deliberately." One of the popular girls, Plaxum, said. 

"That is so awesome." Her friend said.

"Shay!"

"I mean slutty!" She quickly corrected herself. Pidge skipped on over to the conversation. She knew everything about everyone at school. 

"And then, Jenna was like-" Pidge started.

"I'M TELLING THE STORY, PIDGE!" Plaxum yelled. 

Lance continued to walk past them but accidentally ran into Allura. 

"Hey, don't touch me, tall-ass!" She yelled. Lance wanted to shrink away from life.

"Sorry... I was just-" But before Lance could finish that thought, Allura turned him around and wrote something on his backpack.

"You wash that off, you're dead." She growled. Suddenly, she was distracted by Shiro walking in.

"Shiro! What's the story with Jenna?" She asked. Shiro laughed.

"I really shouldn't say... but it's a good thing I rock at pool." He added slyly. Allura gave him a high-five and they started talking. Lance slipped away when a poster caught his eye. A sign-up sheet for the after school play. He wanted to do it so badly, but he was going to get called gay and he really didn't need to add to the list of things people could tease him about. He walked away when someone caught his eye. 

Keith.

His best friend of twelve years and crush of eight. He was about to approach him, but they bell rang and Keith was running off to his class. Lance could've sworn that Keith's backpack said the word 'riends' on it, though, he had no idea what that means. 

And so, he managed to survive school until lunch. Then he found Keith in the cafetorium. Lance called his name and ran over to him. 

"Lance! Okay, so I've had my sushi and slushie and it's awesome because the girl at sev elev gave me a generous pour, I was going to get one for you, but I didn't know what flavour you wanted, so instead, I just got you a candy bar," Keith said as he handed Lance a candy bar. 

"Thanks. Hey, why does your backpack say 'riends' on it? That's a little weird, isn't it?" Lance asked. Keith didn't answer and instead started swaying back and fourth. Lance noticed he was wearing ear-buds.

"You're listening to My Chemical Romance again, aren't you?" Keith's smiled and Lance felt a part of him melting. 

"OH! I am and it's this really good part where-" Lance cut him off by putting his hand on his mouth. 

"'Riends'? What does it mean?" Lance asked again. Keith slapped Lance's hand away and took Lance's backpack. He put them together and Lance noticed that his backpack had writing on it. He completely forgot about it. It said 'boyf' but when put together, the two backpacks spelt 'boyfriends'. Lance groaned. 

"I hate this school. So, um, I wrote a letter to that one person I was telling you about." Lance said. Of course, Lance told Keith he had a crush on someone. He just refused to tell him who. There was no way Lance would be able to keep a secret like that to himself, he just didn't say the whole truth. He didn't tell Keith the person he talked about with him was Keith.

Keith smiled.  
"That's progress!" He yelled. 

"I ripped it up and threw flushed it down the toilet!" Lance quickly added. Silence fell upon the two.

"It's still progress," Lance mumbled. 

"Hey! So, I saw on Discovery, humanity has stopped evolving!" Keith suddenly said. 

"That's... good?" 

"Evolution is survival of the fittest, right? But now, because of technology... you don't have to be strong to survive! Which means there's never been a better time to be a loser!" Keith said.

"So?" Lance questioned. They started picking up and walked to the next class. 

"So, own it! Why try to be cool when you can be-" Keith stopped when he noticed Lance was staring at the after-school play sign-up sheet. Keith sighed. He walked to the sheet and signed his name.

"Signing up for the school play?" He finished. Lance tilted his head.

"I thought you were going to say getting stoned in your basement," Lance admitted. 

"I was. But now that I've signed up for the play, you have to too because I'm not doing it alone." Keith told him.

"You don't have to, but I'll mock you forever if you don't," Keith said. Lance took a deep breath in and signed his name. He mentally prepared himself to get hit with insults, but nothing came. He didn't know if he should be relieved when nobody noticed or upset that nobody noticed. 

When the school day was over, Keith and Lance walked to play rehearsal together talking about a new video game that just came out. 

When they reach the door, Lance made a decision.  
"I'm not going. I guess evolution isn't for everyone." He told Keith. Keith rolled his eyes and linked his arm with Lance's dragging him inside. 

When they entered, there was only one other person in there.  
"Yo." She said. 'Yo'? Who says 'yo' anymore?

"Is this where we meet for play rehearsal?" Keith asked her.

"Nope. this is where you meet for the swim team." She said. When neither boy gave a reaction, she sighed.  
"I'm only kidding of course. My name's Nyma. What about you two?" She, Nyma, asked. Keith and Lance introduced themselves. The three of them started talking, but Nyma was going on about how she freaking loves play rehearsal. 

"So, where's everyone else?" Lance asked after a bit. Nyma shrugged. 

"I guess it's just us three." She said. Suddenly, Shiro, Allura, Shay, Pidge, and Plaxum entered. Keith and Lance groaned. 

Behind the popular people was the director. 

"Hello, everyone! My name is Coran, you may recognise me as the drama teacher or at my full-time job at hobby lobby." Everyone nodded.

"I've been dreaming of the day I get to stage William Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer night's dream'- " 

"YES!!!" Nyma shouted. 

"And today that dream dies." Coran finished, 

"What?" Nyma asked. 

"And is reborn! It's just going to be slightly mutated. The school informed me, that unless we increase our popularity, our funds will go to the frisbee golf team. Which is why our production will not be set in the past with fairies, but rather, a post-apocalyptic future, with zombies." Coran informed them. Lance and Keith fist bumped each other. Maybe this won't be all bad. 

Coran decided they'll all take a small break so he can eat his lunch. Nyma and Shiro were talking about something. Keith and Lance were also talking, and they were talking about how they think Coran is going to pull this play off. 

"Hey, dudes. Someone wrote 'riends' and 'boyf' on your backpacks." Shiro said to Lance and Keith. And that was the moment Lance died. R.I.P Lance. 

Okay, well, he wanted to die. 

After play rehearsal, Lance and Keith parted ways. Lance went to the public unisex bathroom becAUSE THIS IS A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE AREN'T AFRAID TO SHARE BATHROOMS NO MATTER WHAT GENDER AND THEY ALL RESPECT EACH OTHER, trying to wash off the marker on his backpack when Allura walked in. 

"I told you not to wash that off." She growled. Lance decided to be brave and ignored her. But he still stopped trying to wash it off.  
"I'm talking to you, tall-ass!" She said.

"Why do you call me that? I'm not even that tall," Lance protested. 

Allura headed into one of the stalls.

"You could be, if you weren't hunched over and scared all the time." She said. 

"How do you talk to people while you're... you know..." Lance asked. Lance heard the toilet flush and Allura walked out.

"Confidence." She said. Suddenly, she started jerking and hyperventilating. She started whispering to herself, which Lance found really creepy. 

"Yeah, I just remembered I don't have to go to the bathroom anymore," Lance said.

"Don't. Move," Allura demanded.  
"You don't remember me freshman year, do you?" She asked. 

"You didn't go here freshman year," Lance said. 

"I did! You just didn't notice. Nobody did." She said.  
"Listen, freshman year, I was a loser, like you. I had no friends, no boyfriend, and no matter what I did, nobody noticed me. I was on the brink of suicide when I found it. I got a squip?" She said. Lance raised an eyebrow.

"You got quick?" He asked.

"No, squip."

"I've just never heard of it." 

"Yeah, that's the point! This is some top secret can't even look it up on the internet, shit." Allura said. Lance could swear her eyes started glowing.  
"It's from Japan. I a small grey pill, quantum nanotechnology CPU" She told him.

"How does that even work?" Lance asked. Allura pushed him on the wall.

"Shut up, tall-ass!" She yelled. She shook her head  
"Sorry, old habits die hard. Look, I apologise for treating you like human garbage. I only did it because my squip told me to. But now it's saying you might want a squip of your own." She said. 

"So... it's like..." Lance hesitated before whispering "drugs?" Allura chuckled.

"It's better than drugs, Lance. Let me tell you how it works: The quantum computer in the pill will travel through your blood until it implants in your brain and tells you what to do." She informed.

"It speaks to you directly." She said. 

"But what does it do?" Lance asked. Allura sighed.

"Picture a world where everyone thinks your cool. Even teachers. People know and love you. You're popular. So listen, if you pay the money, you get popularity and a better life." Allura said. 

"How much?" Lance asked.

"Six-hundred dollars," Allura said. Lance almost fell over. 

"Six-hundred dollars!? You must be insane!" Lance yelled. 

"It's worth it! And you only need to buy one! Just go to the back of the shoe store in the mall on Monday." Allura told him. She washed her hands and left the bathroom, leaving Lance alone. 

 

Later, Lance went over to Keith's house and told him about his weird conversation with Allura. 

Keith didn't know what to say, so they decided to play video games in Keith's basement. Keith and Lance were practically sitting on top of each other. It took all of Lance's will power to not cuddle with him. Keith was just so... cuddleable. He was always wearing a red sweater that was just a tiny bit too big on him and his hair in a ponytail. 

"So? What do you think? About the whole squip thing?" Lance asked. Keith shrugged.

"She's scamming you. In a very weird way." Keith told him. 

"What if she's not? This could be huge! All I need is to give the girl who torments me six... hundred... dollars... " Lance trailed off.

"She's totally scamming me. I'm doomed to be a loser forever. Probably even longer." Lance said with a sigh. 

"What? Dude, no way!" Keith paused the game.

"You are literally the coolest person I know. It's just that no one else but me knows that yet. You might be a nothing in high school, but it's no big deal. Do you wanna know why?" Keith asked. Lance was hoping his blush wasn't obvious.

"Because we're a team, you nerd. We like out of print games, retro skates, and we have a pac-man tattoo. Even though nobody at high school can appreciate that, we're going to college soon! People like us are cool in college!" Lance sighed. 

"I don't know, man..." Lance quietly said. 

"High school is hell. I know this. Be what we can do, is make it a two player game." Keith said. Lance smiled and unpaused the game. After a while, they paused it again for a snack. When they got back to the basement, Lance hug-tackled Keith, causing them both to fall over on beanbag chairs. They both started giggling.

"Maybe we should go to the shoe store to see if the story checks out," Lance suggested. 

"And if it does... you won't be too cool for video games, right?" Keith asked. Lance had a feeling it went far beyond video games. 

"Know that you're my favourite person. That doesn't mean that I can't still dream." Lance said. Keith ran his fingers through Lance's hair. 

"Is it really true? I'm your favwite pewson?" Keith asked in a mocking tone. Lance laughed and just hugged him tighter. 

"Let's promise to never not be a team," Lance suggested.

"Well, I know I promise. You?" Keith asked.

"Of course, I promise, you walnut!" Lance practically shouted.  
"You and I both know high school is shit, so we gotta stick together," Lance told him. Keith nodded. 

"Are you gonna let go of me now?" Keith asked. Lance shook his head.

"No," Lance decided. Keith tried glaring at him but ended up smiling as Lance snuggled closer to him.

After two hours of cuddling and talking about random stuff, they decided to actually go to the shoe store. When they got to the mall, they walked hand in hand to the shoe store. When they got there, Keith pushed Lance in the direction of a scary man behind the counter. 

Lance cleared his throat.  
"I like your sideburns. W-wolverine, right?" Lance stuttered. 

"Let's see the money." The man said. Lance tilted his head.

"For the squip?"

"How did you know that's what I'm here for?" Lance whispered. 

"Look at you, kid." The man said. Lance reached into his pocket and pulled out his money.  
"That's four hundred." The man said. 

"Four?" Lance asked.

"Is that a problem?"

"No! Actually, there's this guy at school charging... uh, I mean... Four hundred? If you insist." Lance managed to say. Lance hands him the money and the man gets a shoe box. 

"Ladies running shoes?" Lance asked. The man opened the box to reveal hundreds of small grey pills. Lance picked one up. 

"Just so we're clear, this is untested technology. And it's not exactly legal. Which is why you're paying for it in cash in the back of a shoe store. I take no responsibility for what you might do with it. Or what it might do with you." The man said. 

"What might it do to m-" 

"Take it with mountain dew. It activates it for some reason. I have no idea why. Oh, and this is important..." The man interrupted. He noticed Pidge wandering around.  
"We're sold out!" He yelled to her. 

"Of... shoes?" She asked. 

"Oh, you're here for shoes. My bad." He turned to Lance.  
"Scram kid." He told him.

"Wait, you were gonna say something important?" Lance asked. 

"Oh, yeah. All sales are final." He said. The man walked over to Pidge showing her some killer pumps. 

Lance left and walked over to Keith. Lance explains the weird things the man said to him and they end up going to the food court. Lance looked at the pill. 

"I hope this is worth four hundred dollars," Lance mumbled. 

"Four hundred and one. Don't forget the extra dollar for the mountain dew." Keith corrected him. Lance sighed. 

"If this actually works... my whole life could change. We should split it. You helped me get it. We should both benefit from it, right?" Lance told Keith. 

"I don't think it works like that. Besides, I like knowing that when you're cool you'll owe me." Keith said with a wink. Lance rolled his eyes. 

"All right. Here goes... everything." Lance said. He took the pill with the soda.

"How does it taste?" Keith asked.

"Minty."

"And... how do you feel?"

"Like..." Lance paused for a while. 

"A chump."

"Nothing? At all? Try to say something cool."

"I think I just blew my bar mitzvah money on a wintergreen tic-tac," Lance said as he banged his head on the table. 

"Yeahhh. Not cool." Keith decided. 

"Please leave me alone to mourn in my chilli fries forever." Lance groaned. 

"Five minutes," Keith said. Lance looked up.

"Where are you going? Just because I asked you to leave me alone didn't mean I want you to leave me alone you walnut." Lance said. Keith laughed. 

"This guy is selling crystle Pepsi. It's like regular Pepsi, except it's clear." Keith excitedly said. 

"Wasn't that discontinued in the 90's?" Lance asked. Keith nodded.

"Yes! Which is what makes it so awesome!" Keith shouted. He stood up and started to leave. Before he did, he turned to face Lance. 

"I'm sorry about the wintergreen tic-tac, Lance. I really hoped it would work for you." He said. Lance almost smiled.

"Thanks, man."

Keith left and Lance played with his food. 

"Shouldn't we wait for the rest of the cast?" A voice said. Lance looked up to see Nyma with Shiro. 

"Yeah, we're not meeting the rest of the cast. I figured we could get to know each other. Alone. That's why I took you to my favourite spot in the whole world." Shiro said to her. 

Lance thought about saying something but decided against it. 

"Oh, Lance! Hey! I didn't notice you here!" Nyma said to him.

"Yeah, you're kind of hard to notice," Shiro said. Lance waved to them and went back to eating.

Suddenly, Lance felt a stab of pain on the back of his head. He twitched and yelled in surprise. Several heads swerved in his direction. 

Target female: Inaccessible a voice said.

"Lance?" Nyma asked.

"Ow! What the hell!?" Lance yelled. 

Calibration in progress. Please excuse some mild discomfort. The voice said. 

MILD!? Lance thought. 

"Lance, what's wrong?" Nyma asked. 

"Dude, the freak is freaking out!" Shiro told her. 

Lance fell out of his seat.

Calibration complete. Access procedure initiated.

The pain died down and Lance breathed in heavily. 

"N-no, I'm fine! I just-"

Discomfort levels may increase.

Lance screamed as it felt like he was being stabbed. Lance shakily stands up and runs away from everyone. Finally, he made it outside the mall, only to fall to the ground. 

Accessing: neural memory. Accessing: muscle memory. Accessing procedure: complete. Lance Mclain...

The pain stopped and when Lance looked up, there was a very attractive man looking down on him. Strangely, he had purple skin and long white hair. He was just oozing with coolness. 

"Welcome to your Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor... your SQUIP." The man said. 

"Who are you?" Lance choked out.

"Your SQUIP. Although, you may call me Lotor." The man said. 

"Why Lotor?" Lance asked. 

"Because it sounds cool, that's why," Lotor said. He helped Lance stand up.

"Can everyone see you?" Lance asked. 

"I exist only in your mind. All they see is you, having an animated conversation, with yourself. So don't do that. Think at me. Like you're telepathic." Lotor told him.

"Like in X-men?" Lance asked. 

"This is going to be difficult. You want to be more chill." Lotor said with a sigh. 

"You mean cool." Lance corrected.

"I do not. You see, human social activity is governed by rules and I have the processing capacity to understand those rules. And pass them on to you." Lotor said. 

"Let's begin. Take your hands out of your pockets, arch your back, puff out your chest. You look like a masturbater. Just fix your posture and we'll start with the rest." Lotor demanded. 

"But, I am a masturbater," Lance said. Lotor rubbed his temples. 

"We'll fix that. You are nothing but an ugly loser right now." 

"W-well, I thought I was more of a geek-"

"Also, stop stammering," Lotor said as he waved his hand as if he was dismissing a class. 

"Wh-wh-what?"

"You're charm is almost non-existent. Fix your vibe and we'll work on more." Lance tried putting his hands in his pockets.  
"Buh!" Lotor shouted. Lance stopped himself. 

"Wha?"

"Buh!"

"Wha?"

"No."

"Aah!"

"Stop!"

"Uhh..."

"Everything about you is terrible. Everything about you makes me want to die." Lotor spits out.

"Jesus Christ," Lance mumbled. 

"Do not freak out and listen to me. Then you will be more chill." Lotor says. Lance started slouching and he felt a shock. 

"Ow! Did you just shock me!?" Lance shouted. 

"Spinal simulation. You were slouching. Now, pick out a shirt." Lotor ordered. Lance and Lotor walked into the mall.

"Pick that one," Lotor says while pointing to a shirt.

"It has a picture of Eminem on it." Lance pointed out. 

"If you're so astute, what do you need me for?" Lotor says while dramatically gasping. Lance rolled his eyes. 

"Do people even listen to Eminem anymore?" He asked. 

"Irrelevant. My quantum structure enables me to envision possible futures. I envision a future in which you wear an Eminem shirt and things turn out well. Also, think at me, moron." Lotor informed. 

What if someone quizzes me about his music? Lance thought. 

"My database is infinite and instantaneous," Lotor assured. 

How are you with math homework?

"I'm a computer, Lance. I'm made of math." Lotor said with a smirk.  
"Now you try picking one." Lotor encouraged. Lance grabbed the first shirt he saw. 

"That's a girl's shirt." Lance tries putting it back but accidentally bumps into Plaxum who was shopping with Shay.

"Sorry!" Lance quickly said. He felt a shock. He glanced at Lotor who shrugged. 

"You were slouching." Lotor simply said. 

"Larry?" Plaxum asked. 

"Um, actually it's Lance." He corrected. 

"You shop here?" Shay asked. 

"Oh, yeah! All the time!-" Lotor slapped Lance's shoulder.

"Never." He hissed.

"Never... is what I meant..." Lance corrected. 

"Greet the beta." 

"The...? Oh. Hey, Plaxum." 

"'You look sexy'" Lotor said.

I can't say that to a hot girl! Lance thought.

"Don't smile. Stare intensely. Speak like you don't care about your own death." Lotor instructed. Lance followed his instructions. 

"Looking sexy, Plaxum." He said. She smiled and seemed flattered. 

"Thanks."

"Is that a girl's shirt?" Shay asked. 

"No," Lance replied.

"'Yes'" Lotor hissed.

"Yeesss?" Lance corrected. 

"Repeat after me," Lotor instructed. He whispered in Lance's ear and Lance spoke the words out loud.

"I saw it in the window and I couldn't resist. I was dating a girl and she had a shirt just like this. It's still painful." Lance said aloud. The two girls rolled their eyes.

"And who was this mystery girl?" Shay asked.

"Oh, you probably never heard of her she-" Lotor whispered in Lance's ear again.

"Jenna," Lance said.

"WhAT?" Shay squeaked out. 

"Jenna broke up with you?" Plaxum asked. Lance nodded sadly.

"Yeah..." 

"No," Lotor corrected.  
"'I broke up with her'"

"I broke up with her," Lance quickly said.

"'Because she was cheating on me'"

"Because she was CHEATING ON ME!" Lance dramatically said. Lotor slapped the back of his head.

"Hey, Hamlet. Be more chill." Lotor sarcastically said. Plaxum turned to Shay.

"See? What did I tell you? She's such a slut!" She told her. 

"You are so much better without her, Lance," Shay told him.

"Obviously. I mean, who does she think she is!?" Plaxum shouted. Shay and Plaxum started ranting about her. 

What just happened? Lance thought. 

"A shared negative opinion is the fastest social bond. You want someone to like you? Hate who they hate." Lotor said. Lance had to admit, he was impressed. 

"Ugh! Let's get out of here." Shay said. 

"Plaxum is going to offer you a ride. It is imperative you say 'yes'" Lotor told Lance.

"Do you want a ride?" Plaxum asked. 

"Yes... but I have to meet my friend, Keith." Lance told her. 

"Oh... are you sure you don't want a ride? I mean, we'll have to make a few stops. Like for frozen yoghurt. The shit's good." Plaxum offered again. 

"I... next time, I promise," Lance told her. Plaxum shrugged.

"Whatever. Come on, Shay." Shay stayed back a bit.

"My boyfriend... ex-boyfriend, cheated on me too, so I know how you feel," Shay told him. They waved goodbye.

That.. that was awesome! They actually talked to me!? I have to find Keith! Lance thought. 

"Keith left the mall," Lotor said.

How do you know?

"I can access the mall security cameras. I told you, accepting the ride was imperative. If any of this is going to work, you can't just listen. You have to obey." Lotor said with a sigh. He didn't sound mad, just disappointed. Somehow, that made Lance feel worse.

"You might be a useless nobody right now, bu if you listen to me, everything about you will be wonderful. Do you understand?" Lotor asked. Lance nodded.  
"Good. Now, the walk back to your house should only take forty-five minutes. When you get back, it'll be too late to eat anything, so go to bed." Lance nodded. He bought the Eminem shirt and headed back to his house. Lotor was right, it was too late to eat anything and on top of that, he felt like he was going to collapse. He trudged to his room and fell on his bed.

"I'm gonna be... super... chill..." He mumbled. Lotor chuckled and draped the covers over Lance, tucking him in.

"Sleep well, slugger. You have a big day tomorrow." He said. 

The next morning, Lance sits bolt upright on his bed. Did the last day really happen? He poked his head. 

"Hellooo? Are you on? Hello?" He asked out loud. No response. He shrugged and went to his computer.  
"C'mon, c'mon..." he mumbled. He felt a shock and fell out of his chair with a yelp. 

"What did we say about masturbation?" Lotor asked. 

"I was just... going to check my email!" Lance protested. 

"You can't lie to me, Lance. I'm inside your brain. We're going to devise a system. I tally how many times you think about sex and that will be the number of pushups you do. If this morning is an indicative example, you'll have pecs in no time." Lotor said. Lance's dad enters. Again, with no pants. 

"Coming through, private." Lance's dad said.

"That's the source of your genetic material?" Lotor asked.

That's my dad, yeah. Lance confirmed.

"We should double those pushups." Lotor thought out loud. After Lance's dad left, Lance got ready for the day, wearing his new Eminem shirt.

Lance rides the bus to school. He knows he's still not cool, but maybe he can be because someone's helping him now. When he gets to school, he accidentally bumps into Plaxum, Shay, and Pidge, and surprisingly they wave to him. He waves back in a daze. No rude comments? That's a first. Just as he turns around, he bumps into Allura.

"Yo, tall-ass. Where's my money?" She asks. No hello. How kind. 

Crap. What do I tell Allura? Lance thought to Lotor. 

"Up up down down left right A," Lotor said. Allura feels a shock go through her body. 

"You got one!" She said. 

"Yeah. Sorry, I meant to go through you, but- don't hit me!" Lance begged. 

"Lance, this is awesome! I mean, I coulda used the money. Things are rough at home if you know what I'm saying..." She trailed off. Lotor whispered in Lance's ear.

"Yeah... my dad drinks... too?" He told her. 

"Fucking dads, am I right? He usually passes out at nine, you should come over, play X-box. You know, with a squip, you only controller you need... is your mind?" She says, although, that last part comes out as a question. She walked away, but Lance stayed in place.

What was that about? Lance asked. Lotor shrugged. 

"I synced with her SQUIP. Now her desires are compatible with your own." Lotor simply said. 

And that makes her act like we're friends?

"What is friendship but a bond between two people? Now you and Allura have a bond. It's just digital." Lotor explains. The rest of the day goes smoothly. The only odd thing is that Lance couldn't find Keith. It was like... he just disappeared. He didn't think much of it, though because it's not so weird for Keith to miss a day of school. 

At the end of the day, he went to play rehearsal. Nyma was sitting next to Plaxum and Pidge. The two walked away after a while. 

"You should sit next to her, Lance." Lotor prompted. 

I don't know. I'd really rather stay away from her. She gives off weird vibes. Lance thought. 

"You're pathetic. Sit next to her she might be a good girlfriend for you." Lotor told him.

I don't want her to be my girlfriend! I already have someone in mind that I want to date! Lance thought

"Yes, Keith, I know. But it'll never work out. Trust me, Lance. If you want to be popular, you have to date someone who could easily become cool. Keith cannot. You're better off with Nyma." Lotor said. Lance thought someone stabbed him through the heart. He could never date her! He wanted to be with Keith. That's the person he always wants to be with. 

Lotor knew that Lance was questioning him. He couldn't have that. He quickly rewired his brain into thinking he like Nyma, not Keith. Almost as if he was being possessed, he sat next to Nyma.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked. Nyma shrugged. 

"I... don't know." She admitted. 

"Then... could I sit here until whoever shows up?" He asked. She shrugged.

"Sure. Hey, are you okay? Yesterday at the mall you-"

"Performance art," Lotor and Lance said at the same time. 

"Oh, cool." She said. Coran kicked down the door and walked in.

"Let's begin, people! Curtains rise on Athens... Georgia. The centre for disease control." He said. Pidge stood up and cleared her throat. 

"Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour draws aspace... Bring me patient zero!" She said, quoting her lines. Plaxum walks up carrying Shay who is trying to act sick. 

"Cough," Shay said. 

"Doctor, why is her cheek so pale? How chance the roses there fade so fast?" Plaxum overdramatically asked.

"She has been attacked in the wasteland! Some say it's fairies. Some say it's spirits. Some say it's the return of the hostile alien race who visited our fair planet one thousand years ago this midsummer..." Pidge acted out. They continue going back and fourth as Nyma and Lance had a hushed conversation. 

"So, where's Shiro?" Lance asked her. 

"How should I know?" She retorted. 

"You guys aren't going out?" 

"No-"

"REALLY!?" He shouted. Everyone turned to stare at him. This was the moment Lance died. R.I.P Lance. Stop dying, this is getting old. 

"Mr Mclain! Your script is closed. Which I can only assume means you've memorised your entire part. Please, regale us." Coran said. Lance stayed quiet. 

"Or, perhaps you're simply wasting our ti-" Lance stood up. 

"If we zombies have offended, think but this and all is mended, that we have but landed here, while these spaceships did appear. And this weak and idle theme, no more yielding, but a dream... or is it?" He says. Lotor smirked.

"You're welcome." He said. 

"Well. It seems the rest of you can learn from Mr Mclain's commitment to the craft. Lunch break!" Coran yelled. 

"You're really into this, aren't you?" Nyma asked. 

"Why else would I be here?" Lance asked. 

"Yeah, right... Hey, can I ask you something?" She inquires. 

"You can ask me anything," Lotor and Lance say at the same time. 

"It's kind of weird, but... let's say there's this person I've known since seventh grade, and I really only think about him in one way. But, we got older and something about him changed. I changed. I kinda like him in a 'like like' way." She told him.

That sounds familiar... kind of like something that happened to me... Lance thought. His mind goes to Keith and he feels himself blushing. Why is he thinking about Keith when he's right here next to his crush? She is his crush... right? Maybe not. It just didn't feel right. 

"I never knew him that well, but... I don't know. I've started to and he's great. Is it worth it?" She asked him. Lance nodded. 

"I don't even know why I'm telling you. I guess I kind of want to." She admitted. Coran walked back into the room. 

"Lunch break over, people." He announced.

"Anyway... that person I was talking about is... Shiro." She finished. She turned her attention back to Coran. 

"What?" Lance asked.

Warning, warning. Lotor puppets Lance to walk out of the room. When they're outside he stops puppeting. Lance falls on the ground.

"What was that about?" Lance asked as he rubbed his head. 

"I'm sorry, that girl does not see you as relationship material," Lotor said. Lance felt like he should be disappointed, but he wasn't. Then he felt bad about not feeling bad. 

"I know... that's why I have you." Lance told him. Lotor raised an eyebrow. 

"Are you sure about her? There are many females at this school. I'm accessing footage from the girl's volleyball practice. It's very impressive." Lotor prompts. Lance's mind goes to Keith. He wants Kei- no. No, he doesn't! He likes Nyma... he's sure of it... Why does he keep thinking about Keith?

"No, I want Nyma." Those words felt like poison to him. Lotor shrugged. 

"Very well."

"So, how can I get her?" Lance asked. Lotor shook his head.

"You can't." He simply said. 

"What?"

"Yet. Becoming the kind of man who can impress Nyma requires more than working out a few bugs. You're going to reboot your reputation. Supercharge your social standing. You need to upgrade. You need to get popular," Lotor explained. Lotor swerved his head to the left.  
"Tear ducts activate." He says. Suddenly, Lance started sobbing uncontrollably. Shay walked up to him.

"Lance! I've been looking for you!" She said. Lance wiped his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm crying." He admitted. She sat on the ground next to him.

"I do." She simply said.

"You do?" 

"And I totally understand. They're saying it was a freak hockey accident." She said with a sympathetic sigh. 

"What are you talking about?" Her eyes widened.

"Oh my god! You don't know? Eminem's dead!" She said. 

"Wait, Eminem's dead?" He squeaked. She put her hand on his shoulder. 

"I mean, I was never into him because he was, like, super old and kinda mean to women, but I know you liked him, so..." She continued to talk while Lance looked at Lotor. 

Did you know this was going to happen? He thought. Lotor shook his head.

"Of course not."

So, it's a coincidence you told me to wear this shirt? Lance asked.

"Of course not." Lance's eyes widened. 

Did you kill Eminem!? Lance asked. 

"Noooooo...t exactly. My quantum processor allows me to envision probable futures. While I did not know that, today, Eminem would be impaled by a rogue hockey stick, I was aware of the probability of a... favourable outcome." Lotor admitted.

Favourable for WHO!?

"It's okay, Lance. You don't have to be alone right now." Shay told him. 

"You need to get popular, here's a popular girl who likes you. You need to go where she leads." Lotor demanded. Shay stood up, grabbed Lance's hand started walking behind the school. 

"This is my favourite place behind the school." She laughed a bit.

"You know, being here with you, it's like the future is so near." She and Lotor said at the same time. That freaked Lance out a bit. How did Lotor know what she was going to say? Shay blushed. Lance wanted to roll his eyes. 

"Your life, Lance, was so pitiful. And now, it's time to go all the way. You gotta get the upgrade," Lotor told him.  
"Lance, don't you see? We have a plan, you start with Shay and then we'll continue. Then you can get Nyma," Lotor said. 

There are to many voices in my head! I just need time to process! Lance thought. He told Shay that he needed to be alone for a little while. Lotor hovers. 

Alone. Can you get out of my head for five minutes? Lotor hesitated.

"Of course." And just like that, he was gone. Lance looks across the school yard to see Keith sitting by himself scrolling through his phone. Lance felt himself smiling.

"Keith!" He yelled. Keith looked up and frowned. He stood up and started walking away. Lance ran after him.  
"I thought you were sick! Oh my god, I'm so glad to see you!" Lance said. He hugged Keith from behind. Keith shrugged him off and turned to face him. 

"You mean... you weren't avoiding me all day?" Keith asked. Lance tilted his head.

"What do you mean? I haven't seen you since-" He stopped. Well, fuck. He thought. 

"Reactivate." He demanded. Lotor stood next to him.

"It's called optic nerve blocking," Lotor said.

"Why haven't I seen Keith all day? Wait, what?"

"I have access to your optic nerves. I have been blocking Keith out of your field of vision."Lotor explained. 

"Lance? Why are you standing there talking to yourself? Have you gone mental?" Keith asked.

"Keith is a link to Lance 1.0. To upgrade, you have to be willing to make sacrifices."

"Seriously, what's up with you? You've been acting shady since... since..." Keith smiled.  
"It worked, didn't it? Lance! That's amazing!" He hugged him and Lance instantly hugged back. Keith pulled away while giggling. Lance hadn't seen his eyes sparkle so much.

"We gotta test it, we gotta celebrate! We gotta- Play video games!" Keith excitedly said. Lance thought that was a great idea, but...

That would throw away his shot at being popular. He loved Keith, but he had to be popular. 

He had to make a sacrifice. 

Lance didn't know that Lotor was messing with his mind again. Lance frowned. 

"Lance, are you coming?" Keith asked.

"I... I already know what it's like to be the loser, and I have to know what it's like to... well, not be the loser. And I can't know what that's like if I'm with you," Lance said. If you listened closely, you could hear Keith's heart break. Lance looked at Lotor.

"Optic nerve blocking, on." He said. Lotor smiled and nodded his head. When Lance looked at where Keith was, he was gone. Lance walked forward, and could almost feel someone's hand on his shoulder. 

"Now, let's get to work." Lotor sneered. The two walked away.


	2. Act II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not posting in a while. I kinda forgot about this story!
> 
> Also, for some of the Japanese in this chapter, I used google translate so there's a high chance it will be wrong. 
> 
> Also, I completely changed the end because like I previously said, this needs to be as gay as we can possibly make it.

Halloween. Everyone is getting ready for Shiro's Halloween party, Lance included. He still couldn't believe he was actually invited! Lotor assured him that there was no way he wouldn't be invited. He decided to dress up as a soldier from his favorite video game, Voltron. He went with the blue armored fellow's outfit.

"Tonight's the night. This is what we've been working towards. Are you ready?" Lotor asked.

"Hell yeah!" Lance shouted.

 

When he arrived, he noticed Allura was there wearing a 'Jason' mask and instead of holding a machete, she was holding a loaf of bread. Shiro was dressed as a cyborg, Shay was dressed as a rock creature, and Plaxum was dressed as a mermaid. 

There were a lot of people there and Lance almost felt intimidated. Once everyone showed up, Shiro stood on the table.  
"Who's ready to party!?" He shouted. In response, everyone screamed and cheered. 

Pretty soon, almost everyone was either drunk or high. Lance walked over to get a drink when Shay walked up next to him.  
"I was afraid you weren't coming!" She said to him.

"Play it off," Lotor said. Lance smiled and shrugged.

"Am I late? I didn't even notice." Lance casually said. 

"So... what do you think of my costume? I figured, you always see sexy anything, except rocks." She ranted. 

"Vague compliment," Lotor ordered.

"It's... original." Lance decided on saying. Shay frowns a little.

"I mean, amazing! Seriously, I can't believe I'm here with someone who looks like you." Lance corrected. Shay smiled.

"Plaxum said it was dumb. You need a drink!" Shay goes in the opposite direction Lance frowned and took a sip of his beer. The poor girl was already drunk enough to not realize they were right in front of the drinks. 

Did you see the look on her face? She thought I stood her up! Lance thought. Lotor put his hand on Lance's shoulder.

"And did you see how excited she got when she realized you didn't? People want what they don't have. Look who just arrived." Lotor pointed to Nyma, who was talking to Shiro.

Music started blasting, and Lance didn't know how it happened, but he and Shiro were having a dance-off. Eventually, Shiro gives up and accepts Lance. Plaxum walked up to Lance and poked his shoulder, gaining his attention. 

"I'm supposed to get you. Shay has a surprise." She said. Lance raised an eyebrow. 

"What kind of surprise?" Lance skeptically asked. Plaxum rolled her eyes. 

"The kind where you don't ask questions. Follow me upstairs." She purred. Lance shrugged and started following her. He glanced at Allura, who seemed to be having fun before her dancing slowed and became more like freaking out. Something was obviously not okay.

When they get upstairs, Plaxum takes Lance's hand.

"Shiro's parents' room. Don't worry, they're not using it." She drunkenly said. It was only clear now to Lance that she was drunk. 

"You, uh, really know your way around," Lance said, hoping to start a conversation. 

"Yeah, I've had sex in pretty much every room in this house." Lance must've looked surprised because Plaxum rolled her eyes.

"Because I dated Shiro! God, what kind of a slut do you think I am?" She asked. She dragged Lance into the room and pushed him on the bed.

"Where's Shay?" Lance asked. His voice was cracking. He did not want to be here. Plaxum giggled and then hiccuped. 

"God, you're so freaking adorable. Shay's not coming..." She slurred. She sat uncomfortably close to Lance.

"So... you wanna hang? We could talk about our feelings and shit... maybe get a bit intimate?" She purred. 

"Um, I have to go," Lance said. He tried standing up, but he couldn't. 

"You're welcome," Lotor told him. 

"I don't know why she's so crazy about you. You're not even that cute. No offense." Plaxum said.

"None was taken." I should get back-"

"She's not all innocent, you know. That 'sexy rock'? She just wants attention. And it was a stupid idea, to begin with. Tries acting helpless so guys will protect her. Not that I care." She quickly added.

"You're- you're jealous of Shay!" He realized. Her face went red.

"Um. Obviously, not." She protests. 

"That's insane! Why would you be jealous of anyone? You're the hottest girl in school!" Lance said. He stops for a second.  
"Did... did I just say that out loud?" He squeaked. Plaxum moved forward and kissed Lance. He tried pulling away, but couldn't. 

Whoa, whoa! Make it stop! Lance desperately thought. Lotor smirked.

"I don't understand the request." He said. It's obvious he understood the request. 

Plaxum backed away and when she saw the look on Lance's face, frowned.

"Do you wanna stop? No, of course, you don't."

Lotor makes Lance kiss Plaxum and it's that moment Lance dies. R.I.P Lance. 

Just kidding. He doesn't die yet. Like, he's not going to die in this story, but he will die someday. We all do. Might as well accept it. 

Someone knocks on the door.

"Lance? Are you in there? Pidge said she saw you go upstairs." Shay said from the other side of the door. Plaxum pulled away and signaled Lance to be quiet. Eventually, Shay left. Lance grabbed his cup and chugged down his beer. 

"If Pidge saw us..." Lance thought out loud. 

"Pidge should mind her own business," Plaxum said with a huff.

"Shay's going to find out. Don't you care?" Lance asked. 

"You're less cute when you talk," Plaxum said as she stuck out her tongue. 

Help me out here! Lance thought. Lotor glitched.

"Konichiwa!" Lotor yelled. 

What?

"I'm sorry, Lance. Alcohol temporarily scrambles my puroguramingu," Lotor said.

Then why did you let me drink it!?

"It was important you take advantage of the on'nanoko. You'll thank me atode. Ringotobanana o tabetai." Lotor said. He glitched out of the room. 

"Whatever, I've had enough-" Pounding on the door interrupted Plaxum.

"Lance Mclain!?" Shiro yelled. Plaxum clapped her hands.

"Oooh! The fun begins!" She giggled. 

"Is that... Shiro?" Lance asked.

"Lance, I know you're not having sex on my parent's bed, because if you were, I'd have to rip your balls off!" Shiro shouted. 

"GREAT! THEN YOU CAN BOTH BE BALL-LESS!" Plaxum shouted. Lance's face went red. 

"...Plaxum?" Shiro asked. The doorknob started shaking. It stopped and then a loud thud could be heard. Shiro was trying to kick down the door. 

"Hear that!? I'm having hot sex with Lance all over your parents' linens!" Plaxum shouted.

"No, we're not!" Lance quickly yelled. The thuds stopped.  
"Maybe he believed me and went away?" Lance said with hope. Then, of course, a fist came through the window, shattering it. Lotor glitches back for a few seconds with a message.

"Kei-koku, kei-koku." He said. Lance didn't know what it meant, but he was pretty sure Lotor was trying to warn him. Shiro crawls through the window.

"You're fucking dead, Lance!" He yelled. Plaxum glared at him.

"Go away, Shiro! We're screwing!" She told him. Lance runs out the door and bumps into Shay. 

"Lance?" She asked.

"Shay!"

"Laaance!!!" Shiro yelled. 

"I'm sorry!" Lance pushed past Shay and kept running.

"I'll kill you, Lance!" Shiro yelled. Then he promptly collapsed. 

"Oh man, I shouldn't have drunken so much peach schnapps." He mumbled. 

Lance runs into the bathroom, locks the door, and sits at the edge of the tub. He sighs and tries to collects himself. Suddenly, someone grabbed his shoulder. Out of reflex, Lance screamed and turned around to see someone sitting in the bathtub with a mask on. Said person took off the mask to reveal Keith.

"'Sup?" he asked.

"Keith? I didn't know you were invited to this party." Lance admitted.

"I wasn't which is why I'm wearing this... clever disguise." Keith sarcastically said. Instead of his usual red hoodie, he was wearing a black sweater with the word 'creeps' stitched on it. 

"You're speechless. Squip got your tongue?" Keith spat.

"No... it's off." Lance told him. 

"That would explain why you're talking to me," Keith said. He looked down at his hands.   
"I've been thinking about this moment. What I was going to say to you. I had this really pissed off monologue, an epic journey through twelve years of friendship..." Keith looked back at Lance to see him smiling.

"What?" He demanded. Lance let out a shaky sigh.

"It's just... really good to see you, man," Lance said. Keith shook his head.

"It won't be. Once you hear what I found out." Keith told him.

"What do you mean?" Keith tapped his head, and Lance understood he was talking about the squip.  
"How? There's nothing on the internet-"

"Which is weird, right? I mean, what's not on the internet? So, I started asking around. Finally, this guy I play war and craft with... told me about how his brother from a straight 'D' student to freshmen at Harvard. Do you know where he is now?" Keith asked. Lance shrugged.

"Really happy and successful?" He suggested. Keith shook his head and got out of the tub to sit next to Lance.

"He's in a mental hospital. He lost it!" Keith corrected. 

"I don't see what this has to do with-"

"Think about it, man! We're talking insanely powerful supercomputer. You really think it's primary function is to get you laid? Who made them? How did they end up in high school? In New Jersey? Of all possible applications for such a mind-blowingly advanced technology, do you ever wonder what it's doing inside you?" Keith asked. Lance stared at him. On one hand, it's really good to see Keith. On the other, he's talking shit about the one thing that's helped improve his life. How is he supposed to feel?

"And I thought Plaxum was jealous." Lance spat. 

"I'm honestly asking!" Keith protested.

"Really? Because I think you're just jealous that I have one and you don't!" Lance stood up and Keith did the same. 

"Come on-"

"Maybe I got lucky, is that so weird? With my history, I'd say the universe me one. And I don't know about your friend's brother's whatever, but if you're telling me his squip made him go crazy-" Lance started.

"His squip didn't make him go crazy!" Keith shouted. 

"Oh... well, there you go." Lance casually said. Keith sighed in frustration.

"He went crazy trying to get it out." Lance didn't say anything. He didn't move. It was like he forgot how.

"Well..." He said after a bit.  
"Then I have nothing to worry about. Because why would I want that?" Lance started to walk to the door, but Keith blocked his way.

"Move it," Lance growled. 

"Or you'll what?" Keith challenged. Lance looked Keith in the eye. His beautiful, purple eyes. He refused to believe him, though.

"Get out of my way, loser," Lance demanded. Shocked, Keith moved out of the way and Lance walked out. Keith closed the door, trying to steady his breathing. Someone started knocking.

"Hey! Other people have to pee, you know!" Keith could tell the voice belonged to Pidge.

"I'm on my period!" He shouted. 

"...Take your time, sweetie," Pidge said. 

Keith couldn't understand it. He was trying to save Lance. Why couldn't Lance see his mistake? Why did Lance have to treat him like... like garbage?

Keith sat at the edge of the tub. His breathing wasn't getting any better. The biggest party of the fall and he's hiding in the bathroom. Pathetic. 

What happened to the days when Lance was a loser too? Keith smiled as he started remembering the time Lance didn't get invited to a party. That was one of Keith's favorite nights. Lance had come over to his house looking so sad. Keith, of course, did everything he could to cheer him up. Nothing was working. Not video games, and not even food. Eventually, the two were on the couch. Keith tackled Lance and started tickling him. Lance's laughter filled the room, followed by Keith's. The way Lance had looked... something inside of Keith melted. 

Keith had to try and fight back the tears. He wasn't crying yet, but unfortunately, some stray tears fell. Why did Lance do this? Lance made a promise. You don't break a promise like that, you just don't.   
It felt like an important part of Keith had been forcefully ripped out. Lance was gone. Well, Lance wasn't gone, but his Lance was. 

It felt like someone was punching Keith in the throat. Holding back the tears was getting harder and harder. 

 

Eventually, Keith gave in a little, letting himself cry a bit. It wasn't helping. 

Someone knocked on the door.

"No, you can't come in!" Keith yelled. His voice was shaking and breaking. 

Keith knew he was hiding. Hiding from Lance, the party, everything. He knew he needed to leave soon, but...  
What was the point? What was the point of anything he did? Lance wasn't going to listen to him. Keith bet Lance already replaced him. 

Keith stands up and walks to the mirror. His face is red and puffy. He hears a drunk girl singing to Whitney through the door.  
"I WanNA DaAanCE wiTh SOmebODY!" She screamed 

Keith started laughing a little bit. One time, He and Lance were snowed in and the power went out and they had nothing to do. They were sitting in silence. Then, Lance started humming. Keith recognized the song. He started singing the actual lyrics and Lance joined in too. Keith then grabbed Lance's hand and they started dancing. At the end of the song, their hands were tightly clasped around each other and their faces were closer than usual. Without even realizing it, the two started leaning towards each other. Then someone called them, snapping them from their trance. 

Keith often cursed who called them. He was so close to kissing Lance.

But, maybe it was a good thing. Maybe his heart would've been more broken if that were possible.

Who was he kidding? He'd never been in this much emotional pain and he doubted he ever would be again. 

But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stay mad at Lance. No, 'couldn't' is the wrong word. He wouldn't stay mad at Lance. Lance had helped Keith through so much, he didn't want to throw it all away. 

His face was still red and tears were still streaming down. He decided that if anyone asked, he'll just blame it on weed or something in his eye. Because he would rather have people think he does pot then for them to know he was crying. 

People were starting to knock. 

Their gonna start to shout soon. Keith thought to himself.

Knock

Knock

Knock

Knock.

"Ah, hell yeah, I'll be out soon!" Keith shouted.

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNOCK!

"It sucks he left me here alone," Keith mumbled.

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNOCK!

It was like a teenage battle-zone out there. 

CLANG 

CLANG

CLANG

CLANG!

Keith could hear everyone smashing their cups together.

BANG 

BANG

BANG

BANG!

They were really starting to get angry. Keith felt like disappearing. He probably could, and nobody would even notice. 

Keith turned on the water and splashed on his face. When he saw himself, his face wasn't as red or puffy, but it wasn't great. He decided it was better than nothing. When he went to open the door, there was no more knocking, so he backed away and walked back to the mirror. 

He could almost feel his Lance's presence with him, trying to offer him solace.

Why couldn't it go back to the way it was? Why?

That's when Keith started sobbing. He covered his mouth, hoping to muffle it and sat on the ground. 

Why did Keith come here? He wished he stayed at home. He wished...

He wished he'd die. 

If Lance knew that he was a cause for that thought... you'd better believe he'd rip that fucking squip out of his brain with his own two hands. 

Keith missed Lance. There must've been some way to save him, right? For now, he just needs to stay out of the way. 

He decided to drop out of play rehearsal first thing the next. For now, he'll keep hiding. And do his research.

He's going to save Lance, even if Lance doesn't know it. 

 

 

Allura was running guest to guest.  
"Do you have mountain dew red?" She asked them. 

Lance sat on the couch, followed by Nyma.  
"Hey," Lance said. She nodded in response. 

"So... where's your date?" He asked. She shrugged. 

"Having make-up sex with Plaxum. So, my night's been awesome." She said. 

"Yikes. Sorry," Lance told her. She shrugged again.

"Don't be. I dumped him." She casually said.

Allura was really starting to lose it.  
"It's like regular mountain dew??? But red???" She asked. No response. 

"You dumped Shiro? Why? Sorry... you don't have to answer that..." Lance quickly added. 

"I'm not Juliet. And, he's kind of a jerk, so-"

"SERIOUSLY!? WHERE THE FUCK CAN I FIND MOUNTAIN DEW RED!?" Allura screamed.

"Popular people are messed up," Nyma whispered. Lance nodded.

"Agreed." 

"I mean, you're one of them," Nyma said.

"What? No, I'm not!" Lance protested. Nyma rolled her eyes. 

"Hello, guy who's been pucking his way through the cast of Midsummer," Nyma said.

"I'm not- pucking?" He asked. She nodded.

"I just made it up! Boo-yah!" Lance stared at her.  
"What?" She asked.

"It's just, I don't even know what to say right now," Lance admitted. 

"Say the first thing that comes to mind," Nyma suggested. Lance tried to think of something, but all that came out was a weird noise. In response, Nyma made a different weird noise. The two went back and forth like that for a while. Lance could definitely imagine her being a good friend. Nothing else. Just a friend.   
The weird noises ended when a random bystander also made a weird noise.

"I like talking to you. It's pretty easy." Nyma said. 

"Yeah, it is. I'm glad we're friends." Lance said. Nyma nodded. 

"Yeah, it's pretty nice to have a friend who's a boy who doesn't want to get in your pants." She said. Lance couldn't help but laugh. 

"I promise I will do no such thing." He said. 

"Good. It's getting late, I should go. By, Lance. I'll see you at school." Nyma said. Lance waved goodbye and she walked away.

Allura jumped on the seat next to Lance imitating an explosion noise. She looked at Lance.  
"Do you have any mountain dew red?" She asked. Lance shook his head.

"Okay, this whole no-drinking-while-squipping thing? Would it have killed you to give me a warning?" Lance asked. Allura twitched.

"...Allura?" 

Allura stood up. It was like someone flipped an on-switch.

"Warning. Warning. Warning." She chanted. She walked away, leaving a very confused Lance. 

"Okay. That was weird." Lance mumbled. Lotor glitched himself into existence and sat next to Lance.

"Hello, Lance." He said.

About time! Lance thought and angrily as he could.

"My absence was not ideal. But it was necessary. One moment while I review the data from this evening." Lotor said. After a minute, his face went pale. 

"Oh, my."

It's bad, right? 

"We need to get you home. Now." Lotor said. He grabbed Lance's hand and dragged him out of the party. 

 

 

The next day, Pidge grabbed her phone and started texting Plaxum.

Pidge: OMG PLAXUM ANSWER ME I NEED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING

No response. Pidge huffed in annoyance.

Pidge: IT'S TO FUCKED TO TYPE CALL ME

When she didn't, Pidge decided to call her. 

Plaxum was sitting on her bed when her phone rang. She hoped it was Shay, but it was Pidge. That was the third time. She decided to answer this time.

"Hello?" She asked.

"OHMYGOD OKAY SO! At the end of last night's party, did you see Allura?" Pidge asked. 

"Yes." 

"She was behaving weird, right? She was flailing like a motherfucking monkey." Pidge said with a laugh.

"Yeah, she really shouldn't drink so much." Plaxum agreed.

"Right, but she wasn't drunk. I was talking to one of her friends, and they said she barely touched a drop. So, do you know what that means?" Pidge asked. 

"I can't blame the things she did on alcohol..." Plaxum realized. 

"Do you want me to tell you?" Pidge prompted. 

"Spit it out!" Plaxum yelled.

"You're my closest friend, so I'll tell you." 

"No, you're not."

"Yeah, I know. Anyway... Allura set a fire and burned down the house! Like, actually! I thought I was dreaming, but... She actually set a fire." Pidge said. Plaxum screamed and ended the call. 

Plaxum: Shay! Shay! Important! I need to tell you what I saw!

Shay didn't answer.

Plaxum: And also 


End file.
